1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game machine for playing a game with disk-shaped medals (including coins and tokens), and more particularly to a medal pusher game machine having a rotary medal pusher mounted on a horizontal play field for pushing a medal and dropping medals from the final edge of the play field wherein a player observes the rotation phase of the medal pusher and throws a medal at a proper timing to the play field.
2. Description of the Related Art
A medal pusher game machine has a plate-like medal pusher which linearly and reciprocally moves at a constant stroke on a horizontal play field on which a number of medals are placed. As the medal pusher retracts, a space is formed between the medal pusher and a medal pool field. A player throws a medal to this space by targeting the distal end of a spout medal shoot. If a medal is placed at a proper position in this space, the front pushing surface of the pusher moving forward next time pushes this medal toward the medal pool field. Even if one medal is entered, one or more medals fall down from the final edge of the play field, depending upon the state of the medal pool field. The fallen medals are paid to the player. Depending upon the state of the medal pool field, no medal may fall even if a medal is placed in the space, or medals in the pool field may not be pushed by the medal pusher moving forward if the medal is thrown to the pool field, and no medal is paid to the player.
In addition to a plate-like medal pusher linearly and reciprocally moving, a game machine using a rotary medal pusher is known in U. S. Pat. No. 5,275,402. In this game machine, a vertical shaft is mounted at the center of a play field and a cylindrical medal pusher rotates eccentrically about this shaft. As the medal pusher rotates, its circumferential surface moves on the player field. An area outside of a locus of a point on the circumferential surface of the medal pusher remotest from the center of the shaft forms a medal pool field, and a space is formed between the pool field and a locus of a point nearest to the center of the shaft. A player therefore throws a medal to this space while observing the rotation phase of the medal pusher. Since this space is formed uniformly around the shaft, two players can use this machine at the same time by dividing the play field into two opposing play areas, or the play field may be divided into three or four play areas to increase the number of play areas. Since the medal pusher surface is the circumferential surface of the cylindrical medal pusher, the direction of pushing a medal changes in various ways and a player is interested in this machine more than a conventional game machine.
In the game machine cited above, a trench for dropping a medal is formed at the boundary of the opposing two divided play areas. This trench prevents a medal entered by one player from entering the play area of the other player. If a medal enters from one play area to the other play area, this medal may change the state of the medal pool field of the other play area or collide with a medal entered by the other player, hindering a normal play. Therefore, if a plurality of play areas are to be formed on a game machine, it is necessary to partition each play area.
However, if a plurality of play areas are partitioned by trenches, entered medals may fall into trenches without contributing to any game, loosing interest on the game considerably. If three or more play areas are formed around the rotary type medal pusher and the boundaries are partitioned with trenches, entered medals become more easy to drop, and such a game machine is not suitable for practical use. Although partition plates may be mounted upright to partition play areas, the distal end of the partition plate cannot be entered inside of the medal pool field because the medal pusher rotates eccentrically at the central area of play areas. Therefore, the distal ends of the partition plates and the circumferential surface of the medal pusher cannot be made always in contact and the play areas cannot be partitioned completely.
3. Objects of the Invention
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a medal pusher game machine capable of always and completely partitioning a plurality of play areas formed around a rotary type medal pusher.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a medal pusher game machine in which a plurality of play areas formed around a rotary type medal pusher are partitioned by vertical partition plates and the partition plates are adapted to move without forming any gap allowing a medal to pass therethrough, between the distal ends of the partition plates and the pusher surface of the medal pusher.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a medal pusher game machine with a simple partition plate moving mechanism for moving the partition plates in association with the rotation of a medal pusher.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a medal pusher game machine wherein not only a game of dropping medals by the rotation of a medal pusher, but also an additional game is provided for increasing an interest of games, the additional game being given if a medal drops in a win hole formed at the play area, and medals are paid to the player if a hit is obtained in this additional game.